NewSportsWriters.com NFL Preview

This is by far the hardest division for me to get a handle on so instead of previewing it the way I’ve done the previous divisions, I’ve decided to just come right out and reveal how I see it playing out, following that with a few things that I like and dislike about each team. So first my predicted division results:

Minnesota 9-7
Green Bay 7-9
Detroit 7-9
Chicago 6-10

And now some things I like and dislike about each team starting with…

Chicago Bears

1. I like the Bears’ offseason acquisition of quarterback Brian Griese, but in the end will it even matter?

This coaching staff seems determined to keep unproven starter Rex Grossman on the field at all costs, one of the many reasons I feel the Bears will face a decline in the upcoming season. They seem to be taking this same approach with Cedric Benson even though Thomas Jones has proven time and again he’s the better back, and has the ringing endorsement of just about every player on the team. If Chicago’s coaching staff were smart they’d start the better players in Griese and Jones, but based on their off season moves and their draft I’m not too sure that they are. Speaking of their draft…

2. I did not like the Bears draft this year.

In fact I really didn’t like it and thought it was one of the worst of any team in the league. Here is how I summed it up in my draft review back on May 14th: